rear sway bar question

[mikemck]

I have an EMPI #9597 rear sway bar for the "IRS" suspension.

It has curved urethane bushings that fit against the bottom of the torsion tube.

The directions say the bushings are split to allow them to snap over the sway bar.

They are not split.

Should they be cut on the top (against the torsion tube) or on the bottom (against the clamp)?

Thanks!

[turbobaja]

If possible, you might try sliding the bushing over the ends of the sway bar instead of cutting at all. IIRC, the kit I bought years ago had the ends of the sway bar smashed flat and a hole in it for the end link, so sliding over the end might not be possible.

Otherwise, I would cut it in either the front or back of the bushing. Not top or bottom as it sits mounted on the torsion housing. Since the bar's job is to push/pull up and down, not front/back. This should minimize the stress on the bushing where the cut is. The strap will hold it all together.

Karl

[mikemck]

Karl,

Thanks for your reply.

Mine also has the end smashed flat with a hole.

I don't think the bushing will fit over the end of the bar.

I would have to cut about 1" if I cut the front or back. It would be about 5/16" on the top and 3/16" on the bottom.

I am hoping that someone with the same bar who received cut bushings can reply.

[FJCamper]

Hi Mikemck,

Cut the bushing lengthwise where it curves over to the flat base. I've seen them delivered cut and uncut.

Don't cut it across the curved top (thinnest) part of the bushing. Don't cut it directly lengthwise across the flat base itself.

The clamp will hold the bushing together.

FJC

[mikemck]

FJC,

Thank you for your reply.

I am not sure if I follow what you are saying.

In its installed position the bushing is like a "U" that is thick at the bottom. The sway bar hole is through the thick bottom. The top ends of the U are flat and the sides are flat.

I am not sure what you are calling the flat base.

Are you saying to cut it where the curved bottom meets the vertical side? I think this would be similar to what Turbobaja is saying.

[FJCamper]

Hi Mike,

With the bushing as a "U" shape (the open end of the "U" here being the flat base), cut where the arrow points U<

When the bracket is over the bushing, it holds it together.

FJC

[turbobaja]

I've got this kit installed on a '74 Super Beetle now, I can take a look and see where the bushings are cut. The exact location and angle of the cut are not too critical. Don't worry about it too much. You could get away with cutting them at a 45 deg angle rather than horizontally. This would make the thickness a little less to cut through. Use some kind of sharp knife or razor blade and BE CAREFULL. Don't use a hack saw or anything that will remove material while cutting.

Something else to be concerned with on these types of sway bars is how they mount to the trailing arms. If there is just a small angle bracket and short bolt that mounts the arm to the sway bar (the end link) you might want to change a few things before installing the kit. The end link mine came with was installed something like this: bolt with washer, grommet, sway bar end, grommet, trailing arm bracket, and a third grommet, washer and jam nut on top. The problem with this type of mount is it doesn't allow the end link to pivot as the suspension moves. This will cause the torsion mount to rotate back and forth on the housing with suspension movement instead of remaining in position as a pivot point for the sway bar. All this movement will eventually cause the torsion mounts to work there way inboard towards the bend in the sway bar that curves under the trans. This will reduce the effectiveness of the sway bar significantly. I would suggest looking into some longer end links to allow them to pivot as the trailing arms move. This will keep the torsion mounts in place better and everything will function correctly longer and quieter (urethane bushings tend to get noisy sometimes).

Of course, if the kit you have came with longer end links, you're good to go.

Good luck.

Karl

[turbobaja]

I looked at the U-shaped mounts on our '74 tonight and they came cut on the very bottom . They don't seem to be squishing out or wearing at all after about 25K miles. So cut them wherever is easiest .

I'd used a couple 3/4" (19mm) bolt on collars from McMaster.com to keep the bushings from walking inboard on the torsion housing.

This is the front end, but these collars are what I'm talking about.



Karl

[mikemck]

turbobaja,

Thanks for going to the trouble to post the picture.

With the collar you show did you keep the original end links on the rear?

My end links are the same as you describe.

[turbobaja]

Unfortunately, yes. The bushings have been walking inward on the housing. They used to do the same thing when they were on my '73 Baja rear end. I swaped it over to my girlfriends daily driver '74 Super almost 5 years ago. You can feel the diference when the bushings have worked their way inboard from where they need to be.

I've been side-tracked with wrenching on the girlfriend's bug, instead of the one in that picture. This weekend, I'm going to try and overhaul the suspension on the Super. I'm going to rob those collars of the 3/4" bar on the front of my Baja and bolt them on her rear bar. I'm also going to make some new end links to replace the short bolt, grommet setup that forces the bushings to walk down the torsion housing. So, hopefully, the collars will just be centering the bar and the bushings will be able to stay put.

However, if you were to only install the collars, the endlinks would keep the bar centered, the collars would keep the bushings from moving inward, but the bushings would still be rocking back and forth on the housing with the movement of the trailing arm. It will be noisy.

Something as simple as this will probably work. I just have to get my head in there and do some measuring.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Energy+Suspension ... G/10002/-1

You could probably get away with just bolting on some better end links and just forget the collars. But they would still help to keep the bar centered as it travels. Depends if you're an overkill kinda guy or not.

Those collars might not even clear the torsion housing, I'll find out soon enough.

Karl

[mikemck]

Please let me know if the collars fit on the rear.

Should the bushings be as far apart as possible or more in the middle of the section where they fit.

I see that the end links you suggest are from Energy Suspension. I just bought an 8 oz. tub if the special grease for urethane bushings by them from my local FLAPS.

[turbobaja]

The bushings need to be as wide as possible on the bar. Just inboard of the curve on either end. Almost every facotory istalled sway bar out there uses the positioning of the bushings to center the bar this way.

I just grabbed those Energy Suspension links from jegs quickly for a reference. They'd probably be a straight bolt on if there's room. Might need to reverse the L-brackets to add a little distance between it and the end of the bar. A 3-4" link would be enough to do the job. Just gotta make sure the angle of the bar isn't too jacked up, or down, and everything clears, etc.

I'll let you know how the collars fit. If they are a little tight, a shim between the bushing and the torsion housing would be pretty easy just to add some clearance.

[mikemck]

I just took a look at another rear sway bar I have. It is unused but I bought it years ago from ADDCO. It uses the same kind of end link that you dislike.

This other sway bar fastens to the frame horns instead of the torsion tube. I think it is intended for swing axles.

[turbobaja]

Starting to tear into the rear suspension one the Super. Looks like the sway bar link idea will work pretty easy. Here's what the bushings will do if the kit is installed right out of the box.

This is the left side. You can see how the bushing is pushing right up to the bend in the sway bar where it curves under the trans.



This is what the end links look like installed. It LOOKS like if I swap these inner brackets side to side and flip them upside down, I could slip in a 4" link without changing the angle of the sway bar at ride height.



It looks like I'll need to shim the bushings down a bit from the torsion housing to clear the little collars I've got too.

I'll show you what I end up with in the end.

Karl

[mikemck]

Karl,

Thanks for continuing this discussion.

In the top picture, did the bushings start at the outer bend and migrate to the inner bend?